Never Say Never About Lee Pipes

[Briar Lee]

To bring the price of a new Dr. Grabow a Lee has to be super slick and nice.

I used to say you’ll never see a varnished Lee, or a fill in a Three Star or higher Lee, and you’ll never see a ball stinger (which would violate Kaywoodie’s trademark).

So this morning two Lees came in the mail, an early 7 pointed star Three Star Rhodesian that will need some help to clean up, and this darkly stained pressed star era Three Star Pot. Both pipes were twenty something dollars each.

I got to examining it, and this thing is still brand new, smoked not even one bowl. Dad must have unwrapped it for Christmas 1970 and lit it up to show how much he appreciated it.

This once smoked condition isn’t that rare among Lees. I thought I could make it look totally new and took it to my office kitchen sink, and started washing it with hot water.

Son of a gun, this pipe was varnished, not thickly, but when the old varnish washed off, there was a small fill on the bottom.

And when I took off the stem, it had a Kaywoodie type ball stinger, with no holes.



Now excuse me while I finish the first bowl this pipe has had since Watergate.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

"Never Say Never about Lee Pipes" or "The Scales Fell from My Eyes."

 

[niblicck]

Sounds like it may be a counterfit?

 

[Briar Lee]

Sounds like it may be a counterfit?

Rest assured, it’s genuine:

Those counterfeit gold (Dutch Gold) stars are correct for a stamped star era Lee.

At the bitter end, Lee dropped the Lee screw stem but kept the same removable stinger. This one still has a screw stem.

It still has sweet oil cured, tightly grained Lee briar.

There is no such thing as a bad smoking Lee.

Nor an ugly one.

 

[anotherbob]

so if I ever get a chance to get a Lee pipe, you're saying just skip it who knows what it will be like? I might be confused a bit but that's what it sounds like you're saying here.

 

[woodsroad]

Damn, that thing is ugly.

 

[kschatey]

I might consider purchasing a Lee pipe to try, but somebody else keeps snapping them all up...

 

[jpberg]

Never.

 

[Briar Lee]

so if I ever get a chance to get a Lee pipe, you're saying just skip it who knows what it will be like? I might be confused a bit but that's what it sounds like you're saying here.

The best Lees are, in my opinion, the second generation 5 pointed gold inlaid star era pipes. Lee had been making pipes about five years, and the 5 pointed star pipes were more expensive (except for the $25 Five Star stayed the same) and you can see where the stems are higher polished, the stars look like stars and not asterisks, and maybe, they used better briar. The market values the first 7 pointed star pipes highest, probably for the same reason 4 hole stinger Kaywoodies are more than 3 hole stinger Kaywoodies. But the differences are minor, both eras are gorgeous, beautiful pipes made from the best briar and rod vulcanite.

Stamped star era pipes had much less quality stars. Even a new one today looks like this:

Those fake gold stars are black. If they were inlaid gold stars, they’d shine right up.

But a stamped star Lee is 100% as well made and smokes the same, itjust has ugly stars.

There were no bad, cheap Lee pipes.

Some are gooder, than others.

 

[MilesDavis]

I worked on a 3-star Lee today. Not bad. Good enough for a door stop, or if you're into Popeye cosplay (LOL). Actually it's a nice pipe. I had another one awhile back I gave away. I'm kicking myself 'cause it was a very nice pipe. Here's today's

 

[bayareabriar]

Fake News! ?

lol. Thank you for showing us this pipe.

 

[telescopes]

I worked on a 3-star Lee today. Not bad. Good enough for a door stop, or if you're into Popeye cosplay (LOL). Actually it's a nice pipe. I had another one awhile back I gave away. I'm kicking myself 'cause it was a very nice pipe. Here's today's

View attachment 158050

View attachment 158052

That is a nice pipe.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I've seen a number of those ball end stingers on Tsuge pipes and can easily say never to a Lee. I only do artisan briars and meerschaums and chambers beneath a 2 inch depth have little to no place with my pipes.